Machine for planing electrotype plates and molds.



PATENTED JAN. 13, 1903. A. ELLIOTT & M. SHAEN. MACHINE FOR PLANING BLEGTROTYPE PLATES AND MOLDS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 11, 1902.

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THE NORRIS PETERS ca. mmouma. wnsnmcmm. Dv c4 No. 718,245. A PATENTED JAN. 13, 1903.

A. ELLIOTT a; M. SHAEN. MACHINE FOR PLANING ELEGTROTYPE PLATES AND MOLDS.

APPLICATION FILED SBPT.11, 1902.

N0 MODEL. v 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITE STATES ATENT' Genres.

ALEXANDER ELLIOTT AND MICHAEL SHAEN, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

MACHINE FOR PLANING ELECTROTYPE PLATES AND,MOLDS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 718,245, dated January 13, 1903.

Application filed September 11, 1902. Serial No. 122,992. (N9 model.)

f0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ALEXANDER ELLIOTT and MICHAEL SHAEN, citizens of the United States, residing at Washington, in the District of Columbia, have invented new and useful Improvements in the Arts of Electrotyping and Stereotyping, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to the arts of electrotyping and stereotyping, and has for its object to provide improved means for performing the following functions, viz: shaving true the blank wax cases used in electrotyping precedent to the molding of subjects in said cases; cutting down wax electrotypemolds-i c., removing the splurge of wax caused'by the pressing of type, cuts, or other subjects into the waxand shaving the backs of both electrotype and stereotype plates to render the same true.

The invention will be fully understood from the following description and claims, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure {1 is a plan view of a hand-power machine constituting one embodiment of our invention; Fig. 2, a transverse section taken on the broken line 2 2 of Fig. 1 with a portion of the main frame of the machine broken away; Fig. 3, a detail horizontal section taken in the plane between the longitudinallymovable carriage and the transversely-movable carriage of the machine; Fig. 4, a horizontal vertical section taken in the plane indicated by the broken line44 of Fig. 1; Fig. 5,-an enlarged detail plan of a portion of the lockup which we prefer to employ on the transversely-movable carriage, and Fig. 6 an enlarged detail section taken in the plane indicated by the broken line 6 6 of Fig. 1

Referring by letter to the said drawings, A A are guide-rails forming part of the bed or main frame of the machine; B, a carriage movable longitudinally of the machine between the guide-rails and having a longitudinal rack 0., Figs. 1 and 2, and a transverse vertically-disposed slot 1), Figs. 1, 3, and '6, and also having transverse or crosswise guiderails c; O, a camway disposed below the carriage B and fixed with respect to the bed or frame; D, a transversely-movable carriage or work-holder arranged on the longitudinally-movable carriage B, so as to be guided by the rails 0 thereof, and having an abutment 0 and also having a projection 01 extending through the slot 1) in carriage B and into the camway G, and an antifriction-roller e on said projection; E, a lock-up member fixed on the carriage D adjacent to one longitudinal edge thereof and having a'toothed or serrated inner edge; F, a lock-up member connected to and movable on the carriage D and also having a toothed or serrated inner edge; G G, eccentric cams mounted on the carriage D and arranged to engage the lockup member F; H, a knife arranged above the carriage D and preferably having its cutting edgefdisposed oblique to the lines of movement of the carriages Band D; I, a knifehead-i. e., a head with respect to which the knife is fixed-having trunnions g at its ends adjustably held in clamps h, rising from the bed or frame and equipped with means, preferably electrical, as shown, for keeping the knife in a heated state; and J a gear mounted in the bed or frame and intermeshed with the rack a on carriage B.

Any suitable driving connection may be employed to transmit motion to the gear J,

and when the machine is to be driven by an electric or other motor we prefer to employa driving connection of such construction that the direction of movement of the carriage B will be automatically reversed-at the ends of the movements of the carriage in opposite directions. Such a driving connection per se is well known in the art and forms no part of our invention, and we have therefore deemed it unnecessary to illustrate the same. The means which we have shown for transmitting motion to the gear J comprises a beveled gear 7 fixed on the shaft j, which bears the gear J, and a shaft 70, journaled in the bed or frame and having a beveled gear 1 at its inner end and a hand wheel or crank m at its outer end. 1

When the machine is to be used to shave blank Wax cases and to cut down the wax molds usedin electrotyping and also to shave the backs of both electrotype and stereotype plates, we contemplate using electric or other motive power to drive it; but when the machine is to be used to perform the single function of cutting down wax electrotype-molds it may be actuated by electric or other motive power or by hand, as desired.

In using the machine to shave and render true a blank wax case the knife H is properly adjusted and fixed, the arrangement of the trunnions g of the knife-head I in the clamps h permitting of such adjustment and adjustable fixing of the knife. The case is placed on the carriage D and against the stop or abutment 0 and the lock-up member E, and the other lock-up member, F, is moved inwardly against the opposite edge of the case with reference to member E through the medium of the cams G. The machine is then started, when the case will be carried longitudinally to and under the oblique edge of the knife and at the same time will be moved in the direction of the width of the machine, this latter in virtue of the antifriction-roller c on carriage D traveling in the camway C. When all of the case has passed under the edge of the knife H, the carriage B is moved in the opposite direction until the case is clear of the knife, when the machine is stopped, the case is removed from carriage D, another case is secured in position on the carriage, and the described operation is repeated. The simultaneous longitudinal movement and transverse movement of the case against the edge of the knife enables the knife to make a very easy draw cut-t. e., such a cut as is made by simultaneously swinging and sliding a knife by hand or other\vise--and in conse quence there is no liability of the wax being unevenly cut, turned up, or broken, and the production of a perfectly true case is assured. This is particularly true when the edge of the knife is disposed obliquely to the lines of movement of the carriages B and D, and the oblique disposition of the knife-edge to the lines of movement of the carriages is also advantageous, since the machine is adapted to shave large cases, molds, or plates without being unduly large in area.

Vhen the machine is to be used to cutdown wax molds-that is, remove the splurge of wax caused by the pressing of type, cuts, or other subjects into the waxthe knife H is suitably adjusted and fixed, the mold to be cut down is secured on the carriage D, and the machine is operated in the same manner as when used to shave blank cases true. The cutting down or shaving of the surface of the mold in the manner described renders said surface perfectly smooth and level, and hence admirably adapts the mold for use in the practice of the process and the production of the electrotype disclosed in our contemporary application, filed March 8, 1901, Serial No. 50,347, as well as for use in the practice of the ordinary well-known electrotype process.

When the machine is to be used for shaving the backs of both electrotype and stereotype plates to render the same true, a knife similar in cross-section to those used in the plate-shavers extant is employed in lieu of the knife H, and such plate-shaving knife obviously need not be heated.

The operation incident to the shaving of the backs of electrotype and stereotype plates is similar to the operations when blank wax cases are shaved and molds are cut down and need not, therefore, be described in detail. The arrangement of the knife with its edge oblique to the lines of movement of the carriages B and D is, however, particularly advantageous in plate-shaving, since by reason of such oblique arrangement of the knife edge it overlaps the lines 2'. e., always rests over two or more lines or relief portions of a plate-and thereby assures a perfectly even shave of the plate and obviates the liability of humps or protuberances or unevennesses of any kind being produced on the back of the same. It follows from the ability of the knife to overlap the lines or relief portions of a plate that it will shave the back of a plate having a large proportion of its face open as well as a solid plate-11. a, a plate having lines arranged close together on its face.

lVhile we have described the one machine for shaving blank wax cases, cutting down wax molds, and shaving the backs of electrotype and stereotype plates, we desire it understood that a separate machine embodying our invention may be used to serve each purpose when desired without involving a departure from the scope of our invention.

We have entered into a detailed description of the construction and relative arrangement of the parts embraced in the present embodiments of our invention in order to impart a full, clear, and exact understanding of the same. \Ve do not desire, however,to be understood as confining ourselves to such specific construction and arrangement of parts, as such changes or modifications may be made in practice as fairly fall within the scope of our invention as claimed.

Having described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s

1. In a machine for the purpose described; the combination of a bed or frame, a knife extending across the bed or frame, and a workholder movable simultaneously lengthwise and crosswise of the bed or frame and between the said bed or frame and the knife.

2. In a machine for the purpose described, the combination of a bed or frame, a knife extending across the bed or frame, a carriage movable lengthwise of the bed or frame and between the same and the knife, a carriage arranged on the first-mentioned carriage, and movable crosswise of the bed or frame and between the first-mentioned carriage and the knife, and suitable means for simultaneously moving the first-mentioned carriage longitudinally and the second-mentioned carriage transversely.

3. In a machine for the purpose described, the combination of a bed or frame, a knife ex- IIO tending across the bed or frame, a carriage m'ovable lengthwise of the bed or frame and between the same and the knife, and having a longitudinal rack, a longitudinal camway 4. In a machine for the purpose described,

the combination of a bed or frame, clamps rising therefrom, a knife-head extending across the bed or frame, and having trunnions at its ends adjustably secured in the clamps, a knife carried by said head, and extending across the bed or frame, and a workliolder movable simultaneously lengthwise and crosswise of the bed or frame and between the same and the knife.

5. In a machine for the purpose described, the combination of a bed or frame, clamps rising therefrom, a hollow knife-head extending across the bed or frame, and having trunnions at its ends adjustably secured in the clamps, a knife carried by said head, and extending across the bed or frame, means in the hollow head for heating the knife, and a work-holder movable simultaneously lengthwise and crosswise of the bed or frame and between the same and the knife.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALEXANDER ELLIOTT.

MICHAEL SHAEN.

Witnesses: FRED W. MOORE, CYRUS S. J ULLIEN. 

